It is known to install collapsible marquees on outdoor lots for hosting outdoor events therein, for example entertainment events such as circus performances and concerts. Such marquees are vast enough to accommodate the stage area for the performance act as well as a large audience, and can thus be very large and tall, e.g. they can have a diameter of 40 meters and a height of 12 meters. To erect such marquees, several workers are required to piece together poles, canvas, cables and ropes, and other components, and are often required to do so while standing on the narrow rungs of a ladder. This assembling procedure is a fastidious and lengthy process which can involve two or three full days of labour for these several workers, and can further be hazardous for the workers as they may be injured during the installation process.
Some small-scale existing shelters, such as tents or the like, comprise an umbrella-like collapsible framework, which is known for its quick and simplified erection process. This sort of framework can be easily and rapidly collapsed, and put into a compacted transport configuration. Umbrella-like shelter frameworks generally comprise a number of legs, composed of a number of pivotally interconnected rods, and further comprise a post, along which a hollow sleeve can be axially slid. To expand the shelter, the sleeve is slid upwardly along the post, in an analogous manner than for an umbrella, until the legs are completely deployed. Similarly, to collapse the shelter, the sleeve is slid downwardly along the post until the legs are completely retracted.
However, these shelters are small, and are not intended to be constructed at an enlarged scale. Indeed, their structure is too weak, and their internal mechanisms are not intended to be transposed to marquees of greater capacity. Therefore, a need exists for easy to transport, easy to deploy collapsible marquees of large capacity, for example of the type being able to contain up to 2000 persons.